What is jailbreaking?

Jailbreaking technically doesn't have anything to do with the Fire TV Cube or Android (the operating system Fire TV devices run): the term originated with the iPhone. Jailbreaking was (and is) a way to remove software restrictions on Apple's platform, so users can run applications from outside the App Store. While the term started on iOS, it's become synonymous with hacking devices in general.

Can you jailbreak a Fire TV Cube?

Even if we use the term "jailbreaking" to describe hacking non-iOS devices, what most people mean when they say they're "jailbreaking" a Fire TV doesn't involve hacking at all.

Android has made it really easy to install applications from outside Google's — or in this case, Amazon's — app store. You really just need to change one setting on the device, and you can install applications from anywhere you want. With the TV Cube, it's called "sideloading."

Keep in mind the internet is a dangerous place, and it's easy to install something that'll harm your device or steal your account data, so be sure you understand what you're installing.